Chase's Gift Keeps on Giving

By Kelly Putter

In the words of poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.”

Recipients of Chase’s Gift are many, thanks to the dedication and generosity of its creators. Chase’s Gift, a Burlington-based fundraiser, is a yearly event aimed at helping ease the financial burden for families whose kids are battling cancer, as many unforeseen costs come with such a diagnosis.

Today, as its namesake Chase Sandy is 18 and getting on with his life, his parents continue to want to help those in need. “We saw how difficult the financial burden can be for families who have a child with cancer,” says Chase’s mother Tamara Sandy, a Staff Sergeant with Halton Regional Police Service, who with her husband started Chase’s Gift in 2014. “We were so lucky to have support at work and we wanted to give that back.”

As law enforcement officers, it’s not lost on the Sandys how their work environment rose to support the family. At age four and a half, Chase, the couple’s only child, was diagnosed with nephroblastoma, or Wilms Tumour, which meant he would need lifesaving surgery to remove his kidney. That would be followed by six months of chemotherapy – and surgery three months into his treatment. Chase’s parents are thankful that they could alter their work shifts so they could be with Chase every step of the way. That meant both mom and dad accompanying him to chemo treatments. That meant having expensive drugs and medical equipment covered by their work health insurance plans. Thankfully they had already employed a nanny (due to their shiftwork), which also allowed the couple to continue to work while Chase was cared for at home. The couple understands they have much to be thankful for and paying it forward is how they show their gratitude.

They also know the stories of families who have had to endure the heartache of childhood cancer while struggling to pay the rent, or to cover the cost of lifesaving medications, or for something as seemingly simple as groceries or parking fees.

In the nine years since the Sandys have established Chase’s Gift, an annual fundraiser held in late February in Burlington, they have provided over $225,000 to local families in need. “It’s such a huge expense,” says Sandy, whose husband Jeff is a superintendent with Halton Regional Police. “We were lucky we had benefits. I saw one of the medications, a four-ounce bottle of antinausea medication, and it was $175. We started seeing families that had to quit work to tend to the needs of their child, so they couldn’t pay the rent.”

Besides life-saving medications and household-related expenses, their fundraising efforts have also helped pay for, but not limited to, electric wheelchairs, oncology equipment and supplies for McMaster Children’s Hospital where Chase is a patient, as well as donations to Campfire Circle, a summer camp for children with cancer in Waterford, Ontario.

One of the benefits of not being a registered charity, says Sandy, is that funds can be directed quickly to those in critical need. A committee of work friends and the Sandys evaluate needs on a case-by-case basis, but ultimately a social worker at McMaster Hospital helps vet donations and channels funds to the most urgent cases.

The annual fundraiser, which had to halt operations during the pandemic, is back in full force for 2024. The event, which will be held at the Polish Banquet Hall on Fairview Street, generally lands a crowd of 300 to 400 and tickets always sell quickly. But organizers don’t peddle tickets to just anyone. The event doesn’t make money if people don’t attend, so they’re particular about who purchases the tickets, and with good reason.

The evening features fast-paced auctions for desirable prizes such as household appliances, signed sports jerseys, gift baskets, sports tickets and more. “It’s just so much fun,” Sandy says. “We usually sell out pretty quickly. It’s like playing bingo every two minutes and it’s so fast-paced.” Chase’s story and his parents’ efforts have inspired others to pay it forward. Sandy cites Smith Baker, a Brantford-area boy who passed away at age 15 after his battle with brain cancer. His family is now reaching out to help others whose children have cancer. Smith’s mother wrote the Sandys a note, saying how she appreciated their generosity and kindness as Chase’s Gift provided the family funds to cover the cost of a house cleaner as they were going through their son’s treatment.

While the Sandys don’t solicit support from separate, smaller fundraisers, they have support from friends and family as well as past beneficiaries of Chase’s Gift, some of whom continue to stage smaller fundraisers throughout the year from which proceeds are funnelled into Chase’s Gift.

Today, Chase is living the life of a typical postsecondary student. He is studying political science at the Mississauga campus of the University of Toronto, where he lives in residence. Chase wants to be a lawyer, working for an NGO in the area of human and civil rights. He’s involved in the university’s business law club and Caribbean club. His health is good, says Sandy, adding that he’s savvy when it comes to being keen on what he can and can’t do or consume. Water consumption is important – but caffeine and protein powder, not so much. He can’t play contact sports, for example, and will continue to go for annual checkups at McMaster for the rest of his life. “He gets why this is so important,” Sandy says of Chase’s Gift.

For more info, visit Facebook.com/ChasesGift